TEN BIZARRE FOOD FESTIVALS

Noche de Rábanos

10. NOCHE DE RÁBANOS (NIGHT OF THE RADISHES)

Where: Oaxaca, Mexico
When: December 23-24

This is a food festival where eating is discouraged! This festival originated in the 16th century when Spanish monks brought the radish to the new colonies. To gain attention in the food markets, sellers would carve the edible roots into eye-catching sculptures. This tradition continued throughout the centuries and became an official festival in 1987. Radishes as big as two feet long and weighing upward of ten pounds are carved into intricate religious or cultural scenes. The artisans can compete in three different categories for cash prizes.

9. ANNUAL TESTICLE FESTIVAL

Where: Clinton, Montana
When: Early August

There are several imitators, but this is the original ballfest. Usually known by its classier name, the Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival, this whole event is dedicated to serving deep-fried bull testicles. You can have your choice of plain, deep-fried, beer-battered, or marinated, as well as some newly concocted delectables. For the indecisive, five dollars can provide a sampler plate of testicles. Those on a low-testicle diet can have fun as well! One of the highlights of the festival is Bullshit Bingo, with a grand prize of $100 for the lucky person who can correctly predict where a cow will do its doodie. The motto of this dignified event? “I had a ball at the Testicle Festival.”

8. WORLD PEA-SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Where: Witcham, Cambridgeshire, UK
When: July

This is loosely called a food festival since the food isn’t celebrated; rather, it’s like a block party that grew out of a simple target-shooting competition. In 1971, local headmaster Mr. Tyson held the first pea-shooting competition as a way to fundraise for the upkeep of the village hall. The entrance fee is only one pound for adults and 50 pence for children, but be warned! The competitors take this extreme sport seriously, and you’ll need hi-tech gear (like the laser-guided pea shooter) to stand a chance on the field with these seasoned pea-shooting veterans.

7. ROADKILL COOK-OFF AT THE AUTUMN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Where: Marlington, West Virginia
When: Late September

Nobody panic! None of the entries in this harvest festival competition has any tire marks since they aren’t actually unfortunate outcomes of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” jokes. This competition utilizes wild game such as raccoon, opossum, and deer…basically any of Bambi’s friends that could be potential roadkill. Does that make it better? No? Oh, well…notables among the past wild-game entries are Spicy Venison, Buffalo, and Sausage Stew, Pulled BamBiTo under Saboogo, and Biscuits and Squirrel Gravy.

6. GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL

Where: Gilroy, California
When: Late July

Gilroy is the unofficial “Garlic Capital of the World” and proudly shows it off in this festival that attracts over 100,000 visitors annually who consume an estimated two-and-a-half tons of garlic at the event. The official Gilroy Garlic Festival website claims to have used 72 tons of garlic in the 29 years this festival has existed. Cooking demonstrations and lectures discuss traditional uses and health benefits, but the innovative can always express their love for this pungent food in the Great Garlic Cook-off, which has had entries like garlic ice cream, garlic soft drinks, and last year’s winner, “Walnut-Garlic Tart with Garlic-Infused Cream and Chili Syrup.” Anyone need a Tic Tac?

5. WAIKIKI SPAM JAM

Where: Waikiki, Hawaii
When: Late April

An area with a scarce meat supply during World War II, this archipelago embraced the blue-canned pink meat and has now become SPAM’s most loyal market. During this street festival, hula dancers perform while judges crown a Mr. and Miss Spam, and Hawaii’s top chefs create new recipes celebrating the gelatinous meat product. Pedestrians get to sample everything from SPAM burgers to SPAM musubi (kind of like sushi but with SPAM instead of fish). This festival benefits the Hawaii Food Bank, the largest nonprofit in Hawaii that feeds the needy.

4. IVREA ORANGE FESTIVAL

Where: Ivrea, Italy
When: Last date: Mid to Late February

The Ivrea Orange Festival originated in the 12th century, when during parades and city celebrations, girls would throw oranges from their balconies to gain the attention of the boy they liked. The boys began to reciprocate—there’s no mention anywhere if the secret admiration was returned, but the oranges certainly were!—and this evolved into a messy rivalry between the balcony girls and the street boys. It wasn’t until World War II that the intricate citrus battle rules were finally laid out. It’s free for anyone to participate by joining one of the nine teams on foot or becoming a member of the carriage crew.

3. CANDY-THROWING FIGHT, CARNIVAL AT VILANOVA I LA GELTRÚ

Where: Vilanova i La Geltrú, Spain
When: Fat Tuesday

Originally a protest of the Franco regime’s Carnivale prohibition, this annual festival is by far the sweetest food fight in the world! Celebrations begin on Fat Tuesday with the Meringue Wars, where bakeries open their stores and pass out free pie ammunition to children. The adults dress in the colors of their respective Carnival societies and attend parties and masquerades before joining the children in the streets in what becomes a sweet tooth free-for-all! Over 200,000 pounds of food, ranging from pies to candy to cereal, have been donated to the food fight—it’s a dentist’s nightmare! The festival officially ends with the ceremonial burial of a sardine to mark the beginning of Lent and the fast.

2. OLNEY PANCAKE RACE

Where: Olney, England, UK
When: Pancake Day (Fat Tuesday)

At 11:55 a.m. on Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day, aka Fat Tuesday), the local ladies assemble, dressed in traditional housewife attire (including skirts, aprons, and scarves), and run 415 yards through the streets of Olney carrying pancakes in frying pans. The pancakes are tossed at the start of the race and the winner must toss her pancake again at the finish. The race has been an Olney tradition since 1445, and in 1950, the competition expanded to include a friendly flapjack rivalry with the housewives and young women of Liberal, Kansas. The ladies of Liberal won this past year’s race with a new record of 57.5 seconds.

1. ANNUAL YUMA LETTUCE DAYS

Where: Yuma, Arizona
When: Late January

Yuma is known as “The Winter Lettuce Capital of the World.” Sounds silly, yes, but considering Yuma produces $1.5 billion of Arizona’s agriculture revenue and provides 90 percent of North America’s winter vegetables, it’s appropriate to respect the lettuce. Among the highlights of this veggie fair are the lettuce sculptures, cabbage bowling, Homegrown Cooking Contest, and the “World’s Largest Salad.”

By Jamie Frater in "Ultimate Book of Bizarre Lists", Ulysses Press, USA, excerpts pp.174-178. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.

Share this post